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A man reads Macbeth, making curious notes with a yellow pencil. He looks up and judges through lenses he never needs. The lady reads love stories in Polish and the girl who is chewing on her last bit of gum flicks through glossy gossip. There’s a muted voice that filters, reading off stop after stop. There are eyelids that flicker, draw thoughts and lay heavy – a routine glaze until the churn snaps you back. There’s a girl who is stuck when her phone is off-duty. Below there is you and your mind.

Nobody offers the old lady a seat. She grips her hold, shuffles her bag and retreats. There’s a deafening silence as people look for words. There’s a manic businessman who is scrolling, gripping his watch, watching minutes float. There’s a stranger’s arm near mine. There is no other way. There is an announcement, a halt, a swarm in and out and the restlessness of a city. And people that touch are in their own lives, contemplating how love will turn out, what’s for dinner, what kind of day at work it’ll be. There’s a birthday man who is mumbling nonsense in between sips of heavy lager. No one pays attention.

Because in the buzz of underground, the rich man with old clothes, the girls with plastered faces, the old lady who loves her bag – they remain underground.

While the imaginations set in a bubble of dark and light and advertisements, a tight group don’t dare reveal themselves. There’s a deadening routine. The man who knows where’s he’s going doesn’t read boards and wakes before the stop. Clockwork. Busy work. While the maze below grabs onto the city’s rich haste, the ants grapple, push to take the lead while the loner with a guitar plays tunes nobody hears. The yellow coats are masks, the gates just machines that work as well as machines – in and out. The ladders smell of machine, the citizens frustrated at the tourist on the wrong side. The shampoo ads, this is the car you want to drive and series you should never miss. The brain flutters through all until you make your scheduled escape. The city brings you a new direction – one, again, where the regard of another seems futile. Strange how the maps overlap and cross – just like our workings. Mind The Gap.

The genius/idiocy of Karl Pilkington has been Ricky Gervais’ pet project for a few years and the mindless yet intriguing thoughts of Karl has got to be the most fascinating and funniest goo you can listen to. I have been completely addicted to the podcasts, books, videos and series of everything Karl and I think it should be shared to the world.

The English television personality, actor, author, and former radio producer gained prominence as the producer of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s radio program on XFM. He also appeared on The Ricky Gervais Show, presented ‘An Idiot Abroad’ and made his acting debut on Gervais’ 2012 comedy-drama series Derek. While producing on XFM, Gervais and Stephen Merchant grabbed Karl’s offbeat, quirky commentary which added a different dimension to the show. From Karl’s childhood to life with his wife and people he meets, Karl’s episodes have gained huge popularity and his presence on The Ricky Gervais Show podcasts boosted downloads and gave everyone something to laugh about.

The Ricky Gervais Show: Karl’s Poem

While many say that Karl is a Gervais-Merchant creation, it seems his comedic brilliance is not a set-up even though Gervais rides on successful shows and personalities. Pilkington’s great breakout was presenting An Idiot Abroad – a travel feature show with a difference – the show involved Karl travelling across the globe to investigate the wonders of the world as well as trekking through places on many a person’s bucket list. The thing about Karl is, Gervais and Merchant send him to offbeat places to meet weird and wonderful people that make Karl think twice and uncomfortable. From trying to make Karl bungee-jump to wrestle, there is always a sub-plot and situation where Karl makes himself that comedian that he is. Karl’s reactions to places and cultural differences makes for a good laugh and his commentary is both blunt, amusing and simplistic.

An Idiot Abroad (Dwarf Village):

Karl’s sayings and theories have been posted all over the interweb to enjoy and he continues to be Gervais’ profound project which makes him one of the funniest people today. It’s also because Karl doesn’t know he is funny. He doesn’t get the fame he’s received and chats about what he thinks about (no one thinks about what Karl thinks about). Often made fun of by Gervais and Merchant for his ape-like features and orange-shaped head, Karl has become a joke project but his commentary sits on the cusp of genuis and stupidity. You decide.

Here’s some Karl:

“Well…like, when you’re born, you’re a little baby, you’re wrinkly and stuff, when you get older you sort of morph into a baby again…”

-Xfm 01 December 2001

“If I was [Noah], I would have gone, “Hang on a minute, I’ve just seen somethin’ that looks a bit like this, let it drown”, have a bit of a clear out, but he was messin’ about savin’ everythin'”

–Podcast Series 1 Episode 5

“Why didn’t evolution make a giraffe good at carpentry so it could build a ladder?”

-Xfm 11 June 2005

“I wouldn’t put a date on that pancake day anyway, just av ’em when you want, have it when you want. There’s no big deal. You’ve got to make ’em yourself, it’s not like some place is openin’ to do it. Have em when you want. I don’t know why that’s got a special day on it, sick-of-it”